Question For Those Working With Dementia/alzh

[ginger58, ASN, RN]

MY mother-in-law is in an ALZ's unit. The relatives that live near her keep saying "She's happy". She's going into late stage disease.

Do you think these patients are aware of their illness other than just knowing they can't remember things and do you think that they could be happy living in this condition? I know these questions sound kind of flakey so I hope you can understand what I'm trying to get at.

[adrienurse, LPN]

I've taken care of a few exceptionally bright people who have insight into their losses in about mid-stage, but this is not the norm. They usually have their frustrations and such, but live in their own little worlds. It all depends. I've seen happy, silly dementia patients and I've taken care of miserable ones. People's personalities usually stay intact for a long time. If she's in a happy world that's the best gift she can have.